


Revelation

by the_original_n_chan



Series: The Priest's Son and the Demon [11]
Category: Ao no Exorcist | Blue Exorcist
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Generic Fangirl Continuity, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-06
Updated: 2014-03-06
Packaged: 2018-01-14 17:21:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1274722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_original_n_chan/pseuds/the_original_n_chan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The one where everyone finds out. (Well, everyone who didn't already know. Which is like two people. Not including the bus driver.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Revelation

**Author's Note:**

> See series page for continuity note and disclaimer.

“Aw, man! Why the hell,” Rin’s words were broken by a yawn, “can’t we stay here, instead of having t’drive back tonight?”

“There’s no budget for accommodations on this trip.” Okumura-sensei’s tone held a complex mix of amusement, annoyance, and regret. “Just be glad that the onsen’s owners were so grateful for your work they gave you all a freebie.”

“That cheap-ass clown,” Rin grumbled, kicking at the gravel path.

“Well, you’re still just esquires. And it wasn’t that important a mission.”

Ryuuji looked away from the brothers as Rin growled his response to that. The white minibus that had brought them there and would take them back to the campus waited at the end of the path, its engine running quietly, headlamps beaming across the tiny parking lot into the trees that surrounded the onsen, casting them into a stark relief of light and shadow. He was tired, he was ready to conk out after the mission and the hot spring—and the stolen moments of post-hot spring sex with Rin—but he was also wound up, jittery with nervous anticipation and dread. 

He’d promised. Once they got back to school, maybe not immediately but very soon after, he was going to have to let the guys know that he and Rin were....

What? Involved? Intimate? Making out like crazed weasels?

_Boyfriends?_

Shit, how did he get himself into these things?

He made himself take a deep breath. It was okay; he could do this. Avoid the oversharing, avoid the gory details, definitely avoid anything sappy, and just say...um....

Right. He’d figure it out.

Ryuuji slowed his steps a little, hanging back from Konekomaru and Shima, watching as they got onto the bus first. Things felt strangely sharp yet dreamlike, as if he was caught between realities—past and present, hidden and open, who he’d always been and who he might be on the way to becoming. A delicate balance, and if this one thing shifted, would everything change? If he let himself think about it too much, the idea was really fucking scary.

But he’d promised. He’d promised, and it was right.

He followed them onto the bus. As usual, Konekomaru and Shima had taken separate seats, one behind the other, leaving him the option to sit with whichever one of them he felt like. Instead, he swung himself into the seat across the aisle from Konekomaru. In the window’s reflection, he caught Konekomaru’s glance of mild surprise. Well, but their class was small, and there were enough seats on the bus that each of them could sit alone; it would be better that way, if they were going to try to sleep on the way back.

And for a few moments, he genuinely believed himself.

The girls got on and slid into their respective seats, one on either side of the bus, and then Rin hauled himself up the step and into the aisle. Looking half awake, he paused to peer around, scanning for places to sit, then glanced down at Shiemi, as if wondering whether he should just park himself there. Ryuuji was already moving, before he had even quite caught up with himself and figured out what the hell he was doing—half-rising, he snaked his arm out, caught Rin by the sleeve of his jacket, and yanked him forward and down into the seat next to him.

“H-Hey! What the—“ Ryuuji gave Rin a full-throttle glare, and he broke off, shifting his gaze aside uneasily, almost but not quite looking around at everyone else. Turning, Ryuuji folded his arms and redirected his glower at the back of the seat in front of him. His heart was beating much too fast; he wondered if Rin’s was as well. At last, with a put-upon sounding sigh, Rin shifted his sword to an out-of-the-way position and settled himself more comfortably, slouching down low in his seat. At the front of the bus, Okumura-sensei said something quiet to the driver. The door shut and the lights went out as they began to move.

 

 

Konekomaru had already half woken up as the bus stopped moving; when the lights came on, he winced and squinted his eyes open, readjusting his glasses. He heard movement up at the front of the bus, and Izumo murmuring crossly, “Do you have to follow me _everywhere_?”

“I have to go too!” Shiemi whispered back.

“Does anyone else need a bathroom break?” Okumura-sensei asked, his voice pitched low, and when he received no response but a couple of groggy mumbles, he followed the girls off the bus, taking up a watchful stand by the open door as they headed into the service area building. The driver grabbed a pack of cigarettes from the dashboard and exited the bus as well. 

After a few minutes of leaning his head against the window and trying to peer out through the reflections in the glass, Konekomaru cautiously glanced across the aisle. Rin was still sunk low in his seat, fast asleep; Bon was gazing down at Rin, his expression shuttered and serious. At least not... _hungry_ , the way it had been that time. Bon looked up, met Konekomaru’s eyes, and flinched—looking away again, he ducked his head and stared down at his knees, then set his jaw with visible determination.

“There’s something I have to tell you guys.” His voice was barely audible. He cleared his throat awkwardly and went on, just a tiny bit louder. “I, uh...that is... _we_....”

Poor Bon was clearly flailing, and Konekomaru smiled faintly, taking pity on him. “Bon, it’s okay,” he said. “We basically already know.” He wasn’t sure he approved, exactly—he still struggled sometimes with the fear of who Rin was and what he was capable of, and the thought of Bon getting so close to that. But he could at least spare Bon this much.

Bon’s head snapped around, his eyes wide. “You...h-how?”

It was Konekomaru’s turn to look away, his face heating. “I, um, walked in on you in the library.” When he glanced back, the livid horror on Bon’s face made it obvious that Bon knew exactly what he was talking about. Unless, God forbid, there had been more than one time.

“I stumbled across your guide to gay sex,” Shima volunteered cheerfully. He’d turned around to kneel on his seat, arms lying crossed on the back. “I’ve almost recovered from the trauma.” Bon appeared about ready to crawl down onto the floor and hide.

“ _What?_ ” Rin’s eyes had opened, and he was staring up at Bon with almost comical outrage. Scrambling, he pushed himself upright in his seat. “You had something like that and you didn’t _share_ it?”

“W-When did you wake up?” Bon’s voice rose sharply. “And what do you mean I didn’t share? How d’you think I knew about—“ He choked himself off, then hissed, “ _Certain things._ ”

“I thought you just... _knew_ stuff.” Rin gave Bon a little shove of annoyance and then slumped back down. “Jeez.”

Bon buried his face in his hands. “We are _not_ having this conversation.” Shima had disappeared behind his seat again; there was a brief thump and what might have been a stifled hysterical giggle, then quiet. At last Bon sighed and straightened, running his hands through his hair. “Anyway, I’m sorry. I should’ve told you before. Those were really crappy ways to find out.”

“Well, yes, I do wish that you’d told us. I get that it’s private and not really anyone else’s concern, but we’re your friends. You could’ve trusted us enough to let us know, at least.” It hurt, actually, that Bon had been keeping things hidden from them, his very closest friends, as if he thought that he couldn’t rely on them, but Konekomaru could tell from the shamed, crestfallen look on Bon’s face that Bon recognized that pain, and that he regretted being the cause of it. And honestly, it had just been Bon being Bon, proud and oversensitive and probably way too freaked out to be sensible. Konekomaru glanced up at Shima, who had remerged, slightly pink, and then he smiled again. “I’m glad that you did finally say something, though.”

“Yeah, me too, mental scarring aside—no, I’m kidding.” Shima held up a placating hand, grinning sheepishly. “It’s all good. What Koneko-san said about, uh—“ He started, catching himself quickly as Shiemi and Izumo appeared, reboarding the bus. “Telling us. About things. Yeah.”

“Huh?” Shiemi paused at the side of her seat, looking quizzical. “Oh! So you finally told them?” Rin looked at Bon, then made a slightly embarrassed affirmative sound, and she beamed, bouncing happily in a way that made certain parts of her anatomy...wait, what?

Shima’s jaw had dropped. “M-Moriyama-san _knew_?”

“Another walk-in,” Bon muttered, rubbing his temples.

“Knew what?” Izumo looked over Shiemi's shoulder, brows drawing together in a puzzled frown, and Bon, already stressed out, lost it.

“Fuck off! It’s none of your goddamned business!”

“Hmph!” Izumo tossed her head. “Whatever! It’s not like I care.” She poked Shiemi in the shoulder. “Would you move out of the aisle already?”

“Oi,” Rin murmured as Shiemi scooted into her seat. “Y’know, it’s not really fair that she’s the _only_ one who doesn’t know.” Bon stared at him, incredulous, then got a dangerously mulish look on his face as Izumo cast a glance back at them, her eyes bright with scorn.

“Spare me the pity. Didn’t I just say I didn’t care? You can keep your little-boy secrets, for whatever good they do you.”

“You can’t be nice to anyone, can you?” Bon snarled. “He was being more considerate to you than you deserve!”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake, Bon, I didn’t say that so you guys could start a fight—“ 

“ _Pipe down! We don’t want to hear any more about your gay sexcapades anyway!_ ”

Stark silence fell. Everyone turned toward the back of the bus, staring at the pink rabbit puppet as it popped back down between the seats—everyone except Rin and Bon, who sat frozen. Both of them had gone a rather alarming shade of red. 

“Oh my god,” Shima said, one hand covering his mouth to hide either shock or laughter, or quite possibly both. “We totally forgot Takara-san was back there!” 

Kamiki just gaped, her lips moving silently for a few moments before she finally found her voice. “ _W-Whaaat?_ ”

“That’s it.” Quivering with rage, Bon clenched his fists, then whipped around and lunged, trying to clamber over the back of his seat and managing to kick Rin at least once and then elbow him in the side of the head in the process. “ _I’m gonna rip that fucking rabbit’s head off!_ ”

Rin grabbed Bon and yanked him back into the seat. “Sit down!” he snarled.

“Let go of me!” Bristling, Bon tried to jerk away, to no effect.

“Yeah, so you can defend your manly honor against a _puppet_.” Rin rolled his eyes. “And people say _I’m_ immature.”

Bon jabbed a finger at where the puppet had been. “He’s mocking you too!” Rin’s gaze narrowed.

“ _Hey._ If I need defending, I’ll take care of it myself. I don’t need you to do it for me! And besides, how many times do I have to say it? Don’t get into fights with me in the middle! I’m sick of getting hit!” The two of them locked stares with an almost audible clash of wills, and Konekomaru wondered nervously if he and Shima were going to have to pull apart yet another brawl, and how they’d manage to do so in such cramped quarters.

“Oh God,” Izumo muttered, sliding into her seat. “They’re perfect for each other.”

“Everyone settle down,” Okumura-sensei said, preceding the driver onto the bus now that the aisle was finally clear, and the situation must not have been as dire as all that, because the tension faded at the sound of his firm, no-nonsense voice. Rin and Bon looked away from each other; Rin released his grip and then bumped his knee against Bon’s.

“Move over.”

Bon turned to sit straight in his seat again, and Rin sidled over to lean against his shoulder. Scowling, Bon shifted it, trying to jostle him loose. “I’m not your pillow,” he grumbled.

“Yes, you are.” Rin wriggled a little, resettling himself, actually nestling against Bon’s side, then sighed and murmured, closing his eyes, “’S gonna be fine. You’ll see.”

Bon looked supremely unconvinced.

 

 

The next time Konekomaru woke, they were rolling over the bridge, pulling up to the main gate of the campus. As the bus stopped, he blinked, suddenly realizing that Izumo was standing in the half-lit aisle, her face illuminated by her cell phone’s screen. He looked over at where she was pointing it and saw Rin and Bon both asleep, leaning on each other, Bon’s head tilted to rest against Rin’s hair, their faces wearing matching, slackly peaceful expressions. The flash went off, and Bon started, jerking awake, his eyes dazed at first, then sharpening into shocked alertness. 

“ _You!_ ”

For a split second Izumo looked startled and embarrassed. Then she smirked, waggling the phone at him. 

“Ammunition,” was all she said.

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry it took me a while to get back to posting this series. (I got thwacked by [_Shingeki no Kyojin_](http://archiveofourown.org/users/the_original_n_chan/works?fandom_id=721553) fandom.)
> 
> Anyway, this is roughly the halfway point of the series. As of this story's posting, I have seven more stories written but still in need of editing, one in progress, and three or four left to write. I sort of wanted to finish all of the stories before beginning to post the second arc, but we'll see how it goes....


End file.
